YAMAHA TO SUPPORT RIDERS FOR HEALTH
MOTORCYCLES SAVE LIVES
Yamaha has teamed up with global leaders in transport for healthcare, Riders for Health, a humanitarian organisation which enables access to healthcare in some of the most remote communities across Africa by supplying motorcycles and supporting services to health-focused organisations
Riders for Health has long used Yamaha motorcycles to transport vital health care, making the organisation a natural fit for the partnership as Yamaha looks to live by its ethos of contributing to society and bringing value to people’s lives.
In the three-year partnership, Yamaha will support Riders for Health and their UK-based fundraising arm, Two Wheels for Life, by increasing awareness of their work and running various fundraising activities.
The partnership will strengthen Riders for Health’s programmes and help them continue to offer access to healthcare to people across Africa.
Riders for Health is also the title partner of the Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Rally team, participating in the 2022 Africa Eco Race (15-30 October), to raise awareness of Riders' projects.
Who are Riders for Health?
More than 60% of the population in Africa live in rural communities many miles from vital health services, where people have no means of transport other than walking, donkey cart or wheelbarrow.
Often people in these remote communities cannot access the basic health care that many of us would take for granted, such as immunisation for babies, diagnosis and treatment of diseases and care for pregnant women and the elderly.
For more than 30 years, Riders for Health have ensured that doctors, nurses and health professionals can reach communities using reliable transport and are currently running programmes in The Gambia, Lesotho, Malawi and Nigeria.
The terrain in these regions is often difficult with many unsurfaced tracks and even steep, rocky gradients, so motorcycles are often the most suitable vehicle for this task due to their durability and ability to access areas where larger vehicles cannot reach. Riders for Health not only source the most appropriate vehicles, but also offer training, fuel and maintenance services to ensure these vehicles can run safely and efficiently day in day out.
Community health workers with a motorcycle provided by Riders for Health can visit six times more people than they could on foot and having this transport doubles the amount of time they can spend in each village they visit.
The 2022 Yamaha–Riders for Health Project
In the first year of the partnership, Yamaha will focus on Riders for Health’s Gambia programme, providing help to replace and maintain the fleet of AG100 motorcycles used to deliver crucial preventative items like bed nets to protect against malaria, as well as enabling the running of regular immunisation clinics against various diseases.
Riders for Health have used Yamaha AG100 and AG200 motorcycles for their life-saving healthcare programmes in Africa over the last three decades, as these motorcycles are extremely reliable, fit for the terrain, and affordable to both buy and run.
However, many of the motorcycles in use are now ageing and in need of urgent replacement, plus the Riders for Health workshops and offices need new tools and IT equipment to keep operations running effectively.
In order to provide new motorcycles and updated equipment, Two Wheels for Life, Riders for Health’s UK-based fundraising arm, has organised an online fundraising prize draw with incredible prizes donated by Yamaha Motor:
- One (1) of the official Yamaha Ténéré World Raid bikes (non-road legal), participating in the 2022 Africa Eco Race, + a one-day Yamaha Adventure Riding Experience with one of the Africa Eco Race riders, Alessandro Botturi or Pol Tarrés
- Four (4) one-day Yamaha Adventure Riding Experience with one of the Africa Eco Race riders, Alessandro Botturi or Pol Tarrés
- Ten (10) Yamaha Ténéré World Raid Hoodies with the team’s logo
The winners of the Prize Draw can be found on the dedicated Yamaha Motor for Riders website as of December 1st, 2022.
Riders for Health still needs your support to continue its activities to help healthcare workers across Africa.
Join us by donating via www.YamahaMotorforRiders.com.
© imagery Tom Old